Scottish Wildcat kittens born as part of conservation effort

European wildcats arrived in Scotland some 9000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. Now Scottish Wildcats are endangered and face extinction. They are under threat from cross-breeding with domestic cats, disease and habitat loss. In an attempt to save the Wildcat, sometimes referred to as the Tiger of the Highlands, the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan was launched in 2013.

Since 1988 it has been illegal to kill or disturb a Wildcat. A conservation  programme is underway involving a number of groups and experts. Viable populations of Scottish Wildcats are being restored north of the Scottish Highland fault line. Safe places for wildcats in five priority areas have been established and a conservation breeding  programme of healthy wildcats for later release to bolster the population is taking place.

As part of this captive breeding programme two Scottish Wildcat kittens have been born at the Alladale Wilderness Reserve in Sutherland. The adult cats involved were genetically tested by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland before they bred. The reserve is working with the other organisations involved in the conservation effort.